Infant sleep positioner

ABSTRACT

A sleep positioner comprises a body region having a top surface forming loop fasteners and first and second support cushions each having a flat bottom surface having at least one hook fastener. The support cushions are removably positionable on the top surface of the body region to form a space therebetween to receive and maintain an infant in a supine position. A support pillow extends from at least a portion of the body region and includes a cushion member having a support region, to support at least a portion of the head of the infant, at least partially surrounding a pressure relief region. The pressure relief region is configured to receive at least a portion of the back side of the head such that pressure applied to the back side of the head is reduced when lying in the supine position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Medical advice now suggests that infants should be placed on their backsor side when sleeping in order to reduce the number of incidents ofSudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or “crib death” as it is commonlyknown. Even though parents place their babies on their backs, activebabies can sometimes roll themselves over onto their stomachs. As thiscan increase the risk of SIDS, parents can experience a great deal ofanxiety when finding their infants lying on their stomachs.

A variety of sleep positioners have been developed to help maintaininfants in the supine position. However, using these sleep positionerscan sometimes lead to a situation where the back of the baby's headbecomes flattened. Although probably not a medical condition, “flathead” syndrome may cause concern to some parents.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Infant sleep positioners and methods for maintaining an infant in asupine position are disclosed. In one embodiment, the infant sleeppositioner comprises a body region, first and second support cushions,and a support pillow. The body region has a top surface forming loopfasteners. The first and second support cushions each have a flat bottomsurface having at least one hook fastener. Either or both of the supportcushion may have an arcuate upper surface. Additionally, the length ofthe support cushions may be in the range from about 6 inches to about 8inches and a may have a width in the range from about 2 inches to about4 inches.

The support cushions are removably positionable on the top surface ofthe body region to form a space therebetween to receive and maintain theinfant in the supine position. The support pillow extends from at leasta portion of the body region and supports the head of the infant when inthe supine position. The support pillow includes a cushion member havinga support region, configured to support at least a portion of the headof the infant, at least partially surrounding a pressure relief region.The pressure relief region is configured to receive at least a portionof the back side of the head such that pressure applied to the back sideof the head is reduced when lying in the supine position.

In some embodiments, the sleep positioner may further comprise a soundcomponent to generate sounds, such as a simulated heartbeat, for theinfant. The sound component may further include a timer to stopgenerating the sounds upon the expiration of the timer. The soundcomponent may be located inside a cavity of one of the support cushionsand may be activated by depressing a region of the support cushionlocated above an activation mechanism of the sound component. Thesupport cushion may include a removable cover covering the soundcomponent, which when removed, exposes the sound component. Alternately,or additionally, one of the support cushions may also include a vibratorcomponent. Either the same support cushion or the second support cushionmay also include a pocket to hold a pacifier or other baby items.

The sleep positioner may alternately or additionally include arecordable sound component. The recordable sound component includes arecord mechanism to record a voice and a playback mechanism to playbackthe recorded voice. A detection mechanism may also be included to detecta sound made by the infant and to activate the playback mechanism upondetection of the sound. The recordable sound component may be located ina cavity defined by the first support cushion.

Additionally, in some embodiments, the sleep positioner may include amicrophone to capture sounds made by the infant. The sounds may betransmitted to an external receiver. The microphone may be located atleast partially within the support pillow.

The support region and/or the body region may include a gel insert. Inalternate embodiments either or both of the support region and the bodyregion may be inflatable or may be made of a shape retaining material(such as a viscoelastic material) to retain the shape of the infant.Some embodiments may further include a wedge coupled with at least aportion of the bottom surface of the body region and a bottom surface ofthe support pillow which has an inclined surface for positioning thebody of the infant at an inclined angle. The wedge may also be comprisedby a variety of materials, such as a gel insert, inflatable material, ora viscoelastic material.

The body region may have an outer periphery having a rectangulargeometry. It may comprise a quilted material. The material may haveproperties to enhance the infant's comfort. By way of example, thematerial may be scented. As a second example, the material may be atemperature regulating material. Additionally, a bottom surface of thebody region may be a waterproof material, such as vinyl.

In some embodiments, the support pillow may further include an arcuateflange disposed on the cushion member. The arcuate flange is configuredto maintain the head of the infant on the support pillow. Optionally,the arcuate flange may be padded. The pressure relief region maycomprise a recessed portion in the cushion member, which may optionallycomprise an aperture extending through the cushion member. The recessedportion may have a variety of shapes. By way of example, the recessedportion may have a cross-sectional shape consisting of a circle, anoval, an ellipse, or combinations of these shapes. The cushion membermay have an outer periphery consisting of a circular geometry, asemicircular geometry, or a rectangular geometry. The width of the bodyregion may be larger than the width of the support pillow.

In a second embodiment, the sleep positioner may comprise a body regionhaving a top surface forming loop fasteners and a first support cushiondisposed on the top surface of the body region. The sleep positionerfurther includes a second support cushion having a flat bottom surfacehaving at least one hook fastener to removably position the secondsupport cushion on the top surface of the body region so that a space isdefined between the first support cushion and the second supportcushion. The space is operable to receive and maintain the infant in thesupine position. A sound component is positioned at least partiallyinside one of the first support cushion and the second support cushion.A support pillow, extending from at least a portion of the body region,includes a cushion member having a support region at least partiallysurrounding a pressure relief region. A padded member is disposed abouta periphery of the support region. The support region is configured tosupport at least a portion of the head of the infant and the pressurerelief region is configured to receive a portion of the back side of thehead such that pressure applied to the back side of the head is reducedwhen lying in the supine position.

In a third embodiment, a method for maintaining an infant in a supineposition is disclosed. The method comprises providing a sleep positionercomprising a body region having a top surface forming loop fasteners andfirst and second support cushions. Each of the support cushions has aflat bottom surface including at least one hook fastener to removablyposition the first and second support cushions on the top surface of thebody region. The sleep positioner further comprises a support pillowhaving a support region at least partially surrounding a pressure reliefregion. The support region is generally flat and the pressure reliefregion is generally flush with or recessed relative to the supportregion. The method further comprises placing an infant in a supineposition in a space formed between the first support cushion and thesecond support cushion with the infant's head resting on the supportregion. At least a portion of the infant's head is disposed over thepressure relief region such that pressure applied to the back side ofthe head is reduced. At least one of the first support cushion and thesecond support cushion is adjusted to fit against a side of the infant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of one embodiment of an infant sleep positioner;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the support cushion shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exemplary a bottom view of the support cushion shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a second exemplary bottom view of a support cushion used in aninfant sleep positioner;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the infant sleep positioner of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a side view of a second exemplary embodiment of an infantsleep positioner; and

FIG. 7 is a third exemplary embodiment of an infant sleep positioner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are se t forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout some of these specific details. Although concrete embodimentswill be described with reference to an infant sleep positioner used tomaintain an infant in a supine position, with minimal or no variations,the positioner may also be used to maintain an infant in a side-lyingposition. Additionally, with some minor variations, the sleep positionermay also be used to maintain an older child or an adult in a supine orside-lying position.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an infant sleeppositioner. The sleep positioner 10 includes a body region 14. A varietyof materials may be used to form body region 14. For example, in oneembodiment, the body region 14 may be a quilted material formed byplacing a fill material between fabric pieces. Seams may be sewn intothe fabric to prevent shifting of the fill material. The fill materialmay be selected to enhance the comfort of an infant lying in a supineposition. Thus, resilient or “cushiony” materials may be used. By way ofexample, fill materials that may be used include inflatable materialsthat may be filled with air or fluids, gel inserts, and viscoelasticmaterial (e.g., memory foam or other type of material that at leastpartially retains the shape of the infant). Other exemplary materialsinclude rubbers (including foamed rubber), padding, fibers, fiberballs,polyester fill material, fabrics, small pellets, and/or naturalmaterials (e.g., feathers, seeds, hair). Fill materials may be usedalone or in various combinations and materials other than thosementioned may also be used. In alternate embodiments, the body region 14may not be quilted.

In some embodiments, the body region 14 may have other properties toenhance the comfort of an infant. For example, the body region 14 mayinclude a temperature regulating material. Alternately, or additionally,the body region 14 may include a scented material, such as lavender,which may have a calming effect on the infant.

A top surface of the body region 14 may form a plurality of loopfasteners (not shown). As will be described further below, loopfasteners may be used to removably attach support cushions 22, 24 tobody region 14. Other fastening means, such as snaps, buttons, glue, orsewing may also be used to attach support cushions 22, 24 to body region14. Optionally, a bottom surface of the body region may be a waterproofmaterial, such as vinyl. This may prevent the transfer of liquids fromthe sleep positioner 10 to a surface on which the sleep positioner 10 isplaced.

The sleep positioner 10 further includes support cushions 22, 24.Support cushions 22, 24 may be formed by placing a fill material betweenfabric pieces. Fill materials may include any of the fill materialspreviously mentioned or other appropriate materials. As will beexplained further below, support cushions 22, 24 may be used to maintainthe infant in the supine position. Thus, the support cushions 22, 24 maybe a variety of shapes that may help prevent the infant from rollingover. For example, as shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 and2, support cushion 22 may have a flat bottom surface and an arcuateupper surface. The support cushions may be elongated and have a lengthin the range from about three inches to about twelve inches, morepreferably from about six inches to about eight inches, and a width inthe range from about 1 inch to about 6 inches, more preferably fromabout 2 inches to about 4 inches. Support cushion 24 may be shaped thesame or differently from support cushion 22. Alternate sized supportcushions 22, 24 may also be used to retain the infant in a supineposition.

To accommodate the different shapes and sizes of infants, one or both ofthe support cushions 22, 24 may be removably positionable on the topsurface of the body region 14. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, one or both ofthe support cushions 22, 24 may include at least one hook fastener 30attached to a bottom surface of the support cushion 22, 24. Hookfastener(s) 30 may be have various shapes and arrangements. The supportcushions 22, 24 may be initially placed on the body region 14 to form aspace between the support cushions 22, 24 to approximately accommodatethe infant placed in the supine position. After the infant is placed inthe space, further adjustments may be made to the positioning of thesupport cushions 22, 24 as necessary.

The sleep positioner 10 further includes a support pillow 12 extendingfrom at least a portion of the body region 14. Support pillow 12 may beseamed together with body region 14 or may seamlessly extend from bodyregion 14. As illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, thebody region 14 may generally have a rectangular perimeter which tapersto a narrower width at one end. The support pillow 12 may extend fromthe narrower width portion of the body region 14. It should beappreciated that in alternate embodiments, support pillow 12 and bodyregion 14 may be of various shapes and sizes. For example, the supportpillow 12 may have an outer perimeter that is generally semicircular,generally circular, generally rectangular, or another appropriate shape.Similar or alternate shapes may also be used for body region 14.

The support pillow 12 is designed to receive the back of the infant'shead and comprises a support region 16 and a pressure relief region 18.Support region 16 may conveniently be constructed by stuffing a fillmaterial between pieces of fabric in a manner similar to a conventionalpillow. The fill material may be a resilient material, such as aninflatable material, a gel material, a viscoelastic material, or othertype or combination of fill materials previously described withreference to body region 14. The fill material used in support region 16may be the same or different from the fill material used in body region14.

Support region 16 includes a central aperture that extends throughsupport region 16. This aperture defines pressure relief region 18. Inuse, the back of the infant's head rests upon the support region 16 andis disposed over the pressure relief region 18. Thus, a substantialamount of pressure that would otherwise be applied to a generally smallregion on the back of the infant's head when lying in a supine positionto be distributed to other locations on the head. This may eliminate orreduce the flattening of the back of the infant's head that may occurover time from lying in a supine position.

The pressure relief region 18 may be configured in a number of ways,such as, for example, an aperture or depression surrounded at least inpart by the support region 16, a material that is less resilient thatthe support region 16, or the like. The outer perimeter of the pressurerelief region 18 may be varied. By way of example, the outer perimetermay be circular, square, rectangular, elliptical, arcuate, or the like.As previously described, in use, the back of the infant's head rests onsupport region 16 and is positioned over the pressure relief region 18.If configured as an aperture, the back of the head may experience nopressure at this region (with the entire weight of the head beingsupported by the surrounding support region 16). Alternatively, thesupport region 16 may be configured to have a certain height, outerperimeter and/or resilience so that some of the head's weight issupported by a surface positioned below the support region 16.

Optionally, support pillow 12 may further include an arcuate padded roll20 partially surrounding support region 16. Roll 20 fits snugly aroundthe infant's head and may serves to support the infant's neck as well asto prevent the infant's head from rolling off of support pillow 12. U.S.Pat. No. 6,321,403, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses furtherdetails of a sleep pillow 12 that may be used in sleep positioner 10.

In use, an infant may be placed onto sleep positioner 10, with theinfant's head being surrounded by roll 20, and the infant's back andlegs resting on body region 14. The infant's arms may be spread outbetween the support pillow 12 and the support cushions 22, 24. Supportcushions 22, 24 may be adjusted to fit snugly against the infant'ssides. The back of the infant's head fits within the aperture defined bypressure relief region 18. The sides of the head rest upon supportregion 18. Depending on the resilience of support region 16, its height,and the shape and size of the aperture, the back of the head may restupon a surface below support pillow 12, or may be suspended above thesurface. In this way, the pressure applied to the back of the head isgreatly reduced or eliminated to prevent flattening of the back of thehead, as well as providing additional comfort to the infant.

Referring now to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, one of the supportcushions 22 may further include a sound component 34 to generate soundsfor the infant. By way of example, the sound component 34 may generatesounds simulating a heartbeat, which may help sooth the infant. Thesound component 34 may be located inside a cavity 32 at the bottom ofthe support cushion 22. Support cushion 22 may include a removable slipcover that may be used to cover the sound component 34. Thus, hookfastener 30 may be attached to the bottom surface of the slip cover.This may provide for the ability to remove sound component 34 fromsupport cushion 22 before washing. Alternately, the sound component 34may be exposed at the bottom surface of the support cushion 22. In otherembodiments, the sound component 34 may be positioned in a differentlocation (e.g., a location near the top surface) of support cushion 22or may be located in a different part of sleep positioner 10, such asbody region 14 or support pillow 12.

The sound component 34 may include an activation mechanism (not shown),such as a push button, that may be used to activate the sound component34. By way of example, activation mechanism may be activated bydepressing an area of the support cushion 22 located above theactivation mechanism. In some embodiments, activation mechanism may alsobe used to deactivate the sound component 34. Alternately, oradditionally, sound component 34 may include a timer. Upon activation,the sound component 34 will continue to generate sounds until the timerexpires.

In some embodiments, sound component 34 may be a recordable soundcomponent that may be used to record and playback a voice (such as theinfant's mother or father). Sound component 34 may therefore include arecord mechanism that may be used to record sounds for the infant. Soundcomponent 34 may also optionally include a detection mechanism to detecta sound made by the infant and to activate a playback mechanism upondetection of the sound. The detection mechanism may only activate theplayback mechanism if the sounds detected are of a sufficient volume orcharacter (e.g., crying). In alternate embodiments, the recordable soundcomponent may be a component separate from sound component 34. In theseembodiments, sleep positioner 10 may include both a sound component togenerate soothing sounds (such as a heartbeat) for the infant and arecordable sound component which may be used to automatically providethe sounds of a familiar voice to a crying infant.

In addition to, or instead of sound component(s) 34, sleep positioner 10may further include a vibrator component (not shown). This may providethe ability to generate soothing vibrations for the infant. Thus,vibrator component may be located at least partially within a cavitydefined by of one or both of the support cushions 22, 24. As describedwith reference to the sound component 34, the support cushion(s) inwhich the vibrator component is located may include a slip cover thatmay be removed to expose vibrator component so that it may be removedbefore washing. Vibrator component may alternately be located withinbody region 14. Activation mechanisms and/or timers that operate in asimilar fashion to that described above may also be used with vibratorcomponent.

As shown in FIG. 5, sleep positioner 10 may be configured so that bodyregion 14 and support pillow 12 lie flat on a surface. Alternately, asillustrated in FIG. 6, sleep positioner 10 may include a wedge 40coupled with at least a portion of the bottom surface of the body region14 and the bottom surface of the support pillow 12. Wedge 40 has aninclined surface which causes the support pillow and body region 14 tobe at an angle inclined to the surface on which the sleep positioner 10rests. As can be appreciated, this causes the infant's head to beelevated, which may ease nasal congestion and may help improvedigestion. Wedge 40 may be comprised any type of resilient material,such as the resilient materials previously described (e.g., gel,viscoelastic, inflatable, etc.).

Sleep positioner 10 may include additional components that may enhancethe comfort of the infant or provide features that enhance the usabilityof sleep positioner 10. Exemplary additional features that may enhancethe functionality of sleep positioner 10 will now be described withreference to FIG. 7. It should be appreciated that each of thesefeatures may be used alone or in various combinations with the otherfeatures previously described.

Infants often use a pacifier to sooth themselves to sleep. Thus, apocket 44 may be provided with sleep positioner 10 to hold a pacifier.The pocket 44 may be located on one of the support cushions or may be inan alternate location (e.g., the body region 14). After placing theinfant in the sleep positioner 10, the pacifier may conveniently beretrieved from the pocket 44, which may be defined by one of the supportcushions 24. The pocket 44 may also or alternately be used to hold otherbaby items.

A microphone 42 may also, or alternately, be included as part of sleeppositioner 10. The microphone 42 may be used to capture sounds made bythe infant. The captures sounds are then transmitted to an externalreceiver. Thus, the parents of the infant are provided with the abilityto monitor noises made by the infant while the infant is positionedwithin sleep positioner 10.

The invention has now been described in detail for the purposes ofclarity of understanding. However, it will be appreciated that certainchanges and modifications may be practiced within the scope of theappended claims.

1. A sleep positioner for maintaining an infant in a supine position,the sleep positioner comprising: a body region having a top surfaceforming loop fasteners; a first support cushion and a second supportcushion, the first and second support cushions each having a flat bottomsurface, each of the flat bottom surfaces having at least one hookfastener, wherein the first and second support cushions are removablypositionable on the top surface of the body region to form a spacetherebetween to receive and maintain the infant in the supine position;and a support pillow extending from at least a portion of the bodyregion including a support region at least partially surrounding apressure relief region, wherein the support region is configured tosupport at least a portion of the head of the infant, and wherein thepressure relief region is configured to receive at least a portion ofthe back side of the head such that pressure applied to the back side ofthe head is reduced when lying in the supine position; wherein the bodyregion extends outward in a direction away from the support pillow suchthat a width of the body region is larger than a width of the supportpillow, whereby the first and second support cushions are connectable tothe body region at locations laterally beyond the support pillow.
 2. Thesleep positioner of claim 1, further comprising a sound component togenerate sounds for the infant.
 3. The sleep positioner of claim 2,wherein the sound component generates a sound simulating a heartbeat. 4.The sleep positioner of claim 2, wherein the sound component furtherincludes a timer, the sound component to stop generating the sounds uponthe expiration of the timer.
 5. The sleep positioner of claim 2, whereinthe sound component is at least partially located inside a cavitydefined by the first support cushion and wherein the sound componentincludes an activation mechanism to activate the sound component, thesound component activated by depressing a region of the first supportcushion located above the activation mechanism.
 6. The sleep positionerof claim 5, wherein the first support cushion comprises a removablecover covering the sound component, wherein removal of the removablecover exposes the sound component.
 7. The sleep positioner of claim 1,further comprising a vibrator component at least partially enclosed bythe first support cushion.
 8. The sleep positioner of claim 1, furthercomprising a recordable sound component including a record mechanism torecord a voice and a playback mechanism to playback the recorded voice.9. The sleep positioner of claim 8, wherein the recordable soundcomponent further includes a detection mechanism to detect a sound madeby the infant and to activate the playback mechanism upon detection ofthe sound.
 10. The sleep positioner of claim 8, wherein the recordablesound component is located in a cavity defined by the first supportcushion.
 11. The sleep positioner of claim 1, further comprising amicrophone to capture sounds made by the infant and to transmit thesounds to an external receiver.
 12. The sleep positioner of claim 11,wherein the microphone is located at least partially within the supportpillow.
 13. The sleep positioner of claim 1, wherein the first supportcushion has an arcuate upper surface.
 14. The sleep positioner of claim1, wherein the first support cushion includes a pocket to hold apacifier.
 15. The sleep positioner of claim 1, wherein the supportregion comprises a gel insert.
 16. The sleep positioner of claim 1,wherein the support region comprises a shape retaining material thatretains at least a portion of a shape of the infant's head.
 17. Thesleep positioner of claim 28, wherein the shape retaining materialcomprises a viscoelastic material.
 18. The sleep positioner of claim 1,wherein at least a portion of the support pillow is inflatable.
 19. Thesleep positioner of claim 1, further comprising a wedge coupled with atleast a portion of the bottom surface of the body region and a bottomsurface of the support pillow, the wedge having an inclined surface forpositioning the body of the infant at an inclined angle.
 20. The sleeppositioner of claim 19, wherein the wedge comprises a gel material. 21.The sleep positioner of claim 19, wherein the wedge comprises aviscoelastic material.
 22. The sleep positioner of claim 19, wherein thewedge is inflatable.
 23. The sleep positioner of claim 1, wherein thebody region has an outer periphery generally having a rectangulargeometry.
 24. The sleep positioner of claim 1, wherein the body regioncomprises at least one of a quilted material, a gel insert, aviscoelastic material, an inflatable material, a temperature regulatingmaterial, and a scented material.
 25. The sleep positioner of claim 1,wherein a bottom surface of the body region is a waterproof material.26. The sleep positioner of claim 25, wherein the waterproof material isvinyl.
 27. The sleep positioner of claim 1, wherein the first supportcushion has a length in the range from about 6 inches to about 8 inchesand a width in the range from about 2 inches to about 4 inches.
 28. Thesleep positioner of claim 1, wherein the support pillow further includesan arcuate flange disposed on the support region, the arcuate flangeconfigured to maintain the head of the infant on the support pillow. 29.The sleep positioner of claim 28, wherein the arcuate flange is padded.30. The sleep positioner of claim 1, wherein the pressure relief regioncomprises a recessed portion in the support pillow.
 31. The sleeppositioner of claim 30, wherein the recessed portion comprises anaperture extending through the sleep pillow.
 32. The sleep positioner ofclaim 30, wherein the recessed portion has a cross-sectional shape thatis selected from a group consisting of a circle, an oval, an ellipse andcombinations thereof.
 33. The sleep positioner of claim 1, wherein thepressure relief region is less resilient that the support region. 34.The sleep positioner of claim 1, wherein the support pillow has an outerperiphery consisting of one of a circular geometry, a semicirculargeometry, and a rectangular geometry.
 35. (canceled)
 36. A sleeppositioner for maintaining an infant in a supine position, the sleeppositioner comprising: a body region having a top surface forming loopfasteners and a bottom surface that is constructed of a waterproofmaterial; a first support cushion disposed on the top surface of thebody region; a second support cushion having a flat bottom surface anarcuate upper surface, the flat bottom surface having at least one hookfastener to removably position the second support cushion on the topsurface of the body region so that a space is defined between the firstsupport cushion and the second support cushion, the space operable toreceive and maintain the infant in the supine position; a soundcomponent positioned at least partially inside one of the first supportcushion and the second support cushion; and a support pillow, extendingfrom at least a portion of the body region, including a support regionat least partially surrounding a pressure relief region and a paddedmember disposed about a periphery of the support region, wherein thesupport region is configured to support at least a portion of the headof the infant, and wherein the pressure relief region is configured toreceive a portion of the back side of the head such that pressureapplied to the back side of the head is reduced when lying in the supineposition.
 37. The sleep positioner of claim 36, wherein the soundcomponent generates a sound simulating a heartbeat.
 38. The sleeppositioner of claim 36, wherein the sound component further includes atimer, the sound component to stop generating sounds upon the expirationof the timer.
 39. The sleep positioner of claim 36, wherein the firstsupport cushion has a flat bottom surface having at least one hookfastener to removably position the first support cushion on the bodyregion.
 40. The sleep positioner of claim 36, wherein the support pillowfurther includes a microphone component to capture sounds made by theinfant and to transmit the sounds to an external receiver.
 41. A methodfor maintaining an infant in a supine position, the method comprising:providing a sleep positioner comprising a body region having a topsurface forming loop fasteners, first and second support cushions eachhaving a flat bottom surface including at least one hook fastener toremovably position the first and second support cushions on the topsurface of the body region, and a support pillow having a support regionat least partially surrounding a pressure relief region, wherein thesupport region is generally flat and the pressure relief region isgenerally flush with or recessed relative to the support region andwherein the body region extends laterally outward from the supportpillow such that a width of the body region is larger than a width ofthe support pillow; and placing an infant in a supine position in aspace formed between the first support cushion and the second supportcushion, with the infant's head resting on the support region, and withat least a portion of the infant's head being disposed over the pressurerelief region such that pressure applied to the back side of the head isreduced; adjusting at least one of the first support cushion and thesecond support cushion to fit against a side of the infant such that atleast a portion of the first and second support cushions are laterallybeyond the support pillow.
 42. The method of claim 41, furthercomprising providing a sound component to generate sounds for theinfant.
 43. The method of claim 41, further comprising providing amicrophone component to record sounds made by the infant and to transmitthe sounds to an external receiver.